Just another reminder that Warren Ellis’ debut novel “Crooked Little Vein” comes out today. Forget Harry Potter, THIS is the book that everyone should be talking about. In related news, in a rare States-side appearance, Warren Ellis will be signing copies of “Crooked Little Vein” at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Anyone lucky enough to attend the show can catch the signing at the Mysterious Galaxy booth on Friday, July 27, 2007 from 2–4PM PST.
Speaking of the San Diego Comic-Con, does it get any better than this?!?! Four days and nights of pure fandom bliss covering everything from comics, movies and books to videogames, television & anime. Among the many notable guests attending, there’s JJ Abrams, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Frank Miller, Stan Lee, Clive Barker, Richard K. Morgan, Laurell K. Hamilton, David Morrell, Cory Doctorow, George A. Romero, J. Michael Straczynski, Jacqueline Carey, David Anthony Durham, Harry Turtledove, Peter David, R.A. Salvatore, Orson Scott Card, Richard Matheson, Paul Dini, Mike Carey, Rosario Dawson, Carrie Vaughn, Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, Kevin Smith, Christopher Golden, Austin Grossman, Tad Williams, Joss Whedon, Edward Norton, Nicholas Cage and so many others it just makes my head hurt to think about it!
In case anyone is interested I have read the Harry Potter books, and I did pick up a copy of "the Deathly Hallows"when it was released on Saturday—well, actually my wife did but that's not the point :) In short, I’ve enjoyed the series, some books more than others—most notably “Goblet of Fire” and “the Half-Blood Prince”—and I will read “Deathly Hallows” at some point, but don’t expect a review on the book. There’s more than enough coverage out there in my opinion, but I may share a few thoughts on the novel whenever I do finish it ;)
As far as news, just some tidbits for you, mainly of the comic book variety which seems to be the prevailing theme today. First off, The Luna Brothers (Spider-Woman), a personal favorite of mine known for their successful series “Girls” and “Ultra”, will be releasing their new project this October through Image Comics. It’s called “The Sword” and is billed as a “mix of Kill Bill, Highlander and Blade of the Immortal”. You can read Newsarama’s interview with the brothers HERE. “The Sword” goes on sale October 17, 2007.
On September 25, 2007, Bungie’s Halo 3 will be released worldwide for Xbox 360 owners and is expected to “shatter day-one entertainment sales records”. In support of the pending release, Marvel Comics in conjunction with Bungie will be publishing the 4-issue series “Halo: Uprising”, which bridges the gap between the end of Halo 2 and the beginning of Halo 3. Bringing the series to life is the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil, Alias, Powers) and artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Spider-Woman, Todd McFarlane’s Sam & Twitch). I’ve never been a big fan of the videogames, but I’m looking forward to this series. Issue one hits stands on August 15, 2007. For more information, check out interviews with Brian Michael Bendis at IGN and Newsarama.
Ironically, Marvel’s rival company DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) will be publishing their own series based on a popular videogame franchise— Blizzard Entertainment’s “World of Warcraft”, the world’s most subscribed to multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The ongoing monthly series will be written by Walter Simonson (Thor, Fantastic Four) and feature art by Ludo Lullabi and inker Sandra Hope. The first six issues of the comic series will each feature two covers, one by superstar comic book artist Jim Lee (X-Men, Batman, WildC.A.T.s) and a second by Blizzard Entertainment Senior Art Director Samwise Didier, with preview art debuting at the San Diego Comic-Con (July 26–29). The World of Warcraft comic book will be published through DC’s WildStorm imprint and debut this fall. Click HERE for the full press release and be sure to check out that wonderful Jim Lee artwork!
In a novel move, Virgin Comics ((John Woo’s “7 Brothers”, Guy Ritchie’s “Game Keeper”, Nicholas & Weston Cage’s “Voodoo Child”) and Myspace have joined forces to launch Coalition Comix, “a new online comic book platform, allowing thousands of participants to work with leading comic book creators in the development and creation of new characters and stories. Each digital issue will have a real time creation period of two weeks, with sketches, artwork and scripts continuously uploaded for interactivity with the community. The first comic planned will be guided by comic book writer/novelist Mike Carey (Ultimate Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hellblazer, The Devil You Know).” For more information on Coalition Comix, check out the full press release HERE. Personally, I think this is a fabulous idea and will be an avid supporter.
Here’s an interesting bit of news. Curt Schilling, current Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and two-time World Series champion, has his own videogame development & publishing company called 38 Studios (formerly Green Monster Games) which will participate at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con (July 26–29). One of the projects being worked on is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) featuring the artistic vision of Todd McFarlane (Spawn, The Amazing Spider-Man), R.A. Salvatore’s (Forgotten Realms, Star Wars) storytelling and an experienced team of gaming individuals including CEO/President Brett Close (Midway, EALA, VR1/Jaleco), Mary Kirchoff (Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast), Scott Cuthbertson (Disney, Warner Bros., Vivendi/Universal, Nintendo), Chaz Sutherland (Shiny, EALA), etc. For more information on 38 Studios and the untitled MMOG, keep an eye out for SDCC ’07 and check out the press release HERE.
PS Publishing (Stephen King’s “The Colorado Kid”, Steven Erikson, Joe Hill, China Miéville, Tim Lebbon, etc.) one of the premier specialist publishers in the fields of SF, Fantasy and Horror fiction, recently launched their brand new news blog, the PS Publishing News Room, which will be kept up-to-date with all the very latest PS Publishing news: short story acceptances, novel and novella purchases, sneak-peak cover art previews, links to reviews of PS titles elsewhere on the web, those all-important publication announcements, and much more. If you would like to receive PS Publishing’s general customer e-bulletins, please visit the sign-up page HERE. On a related note, I will be soon reviewing the three Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas from Steven Erikson as well as Conrad Williams’ “The Scalding Rooms” thanks to PS Publishing.
According to Variety, it looks like New Line Cinema has finally chosen a director & writer for the movie adaptation of Y: The Last Man, which was created by writer Brian K. Vaughan (Ex Machina, Runaways, Lost) and penciler Pia Guerra. Published through DC’s imprint Vertigo (The Sandman, Fables, Transmetropolitan), the series is about a plague that wipes out all male humans save one and will be directed by D.J. Caruso (Taking Lives, Two for the Money) and adapted by Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye), who previously worked together on the film Disturbia.
Debuted at the NYC Comic Con in February 2007, Arcana Studio’s comic book “GearHead”—written by Dennis Hopeless and drawn by penciler K.W. Mellon & inker Ed Herrera—has been picked up for movie adaptation by Darius Films. The 4-issue series follows Shelby Cooper and her mission to find her brother and discover her destiny… And finally, another DC property has been picked up by Warner Bros. Pictures, the Western-flavored Jonah Hex with the team behind the action flick Crank adapting.
Speaking of the San Diego Comic-Con, does it get any better than this?!?! Four days and nights of pure fandom bliss covering everything from comics, movies and books to videogames, television & anime. Among the many notable guests attending, there’s JJ Abrams, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Frank Miller, Stan Lee, Clive Barker, Richard K. Morgan, Laurell K. Hamilton, David Morrell, Cory Doctorow, George A. Romero, J. Michael Straczynski, Jacqueline Carey, David Anthony Durham, Harry Turtledove, Peter David, R.A. Salvatore, Orson Scott Card, Richard Matheson, Paul Dini, Mike Carey, Rosario Dawson, Carrie Vaughn, Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, Kevin Smith, Christopher Golden, Austin Grossman, Tad Williams, Joss Whedon, Edward Norton, Nicholas Cage and so many others it just makes my head hurt to think about it!In case anyone is interested I have read the Harry Potter books, and I did pick up a copy of "the Deathly Hallows"when it was released on Saturday—well, actually my wife did but that's not the point :) In short, I’ve enjoyed the series, some books more than others—most notably “Goblet of Fire” and “the Half-Blood Prince”—and I will read “Deathly Hallows” at some point, but don’t expect a review on the book. There’s more than enough coverage out there in my opinion, but I may share a few thoughts on the novel whenever I do finish it ;)
As far as news, just some tidbits for you, mainly of the comic book variety which seems to be the prevailing theme today. First off, The Luna Brothers (Spider-Woman), a personal favorite of mine known for their successful series “Girls” and “Ultra”, will be releasing their new project this October through Image Comics. It’s called “The Sword” and is billed as a “mix of Kill Bill, Highlander and Blade of the Immortal”. You can read Newsarama’s interview with the brothers HERE. “The Sword” goes on sale October 17, 2007.
On September 25, 2007, Bungie’s Halo 3 will be released worldwide for Xbox 360 owners and is expected to “shatter day-one entertainment sales records”. In support of the pending release, Marvel Comics in conjunction with Bungie will be publishing the 4-issue series “Halo: Uprising”, which bridges the gap between the end of Halo 2 and the beginning of Halo 3. Bringing the series to life is the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil, Alias, Powers) and artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Spider-Woman, Todd McFarlane’s Sam & Twitch). I’ve never been a big fan of the videogames, but I’m looking forward to this series. Issue one hits stands on August 15, 2007. For more information, check out interviews with Brian Michael Bendis at IGN and Newsarama.
Ironically, Marvel’s rival company DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) will be publishing their own series based on a popular videogame franchise— Blizzard Entertainment’s “World of Warcraft”, the world’s most subscribed to multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The ongoing monthly series will be written by Walter Simonson (Thor, Fantastic Four) and feature art by Ludo Lullabi and inker Sandra Hope. The first six issues of the comic series will each feature two covers, one by superstar comic book artist Jim Lee (X-Men, Batman, WildC.A.T.s) and a second by Blizzard Entertainment Senior Art Director Samwise Didier, with preview art debuting at the San Diego Comic-Con (July 26–29). The World of Warcraft comic book will be published through DC’s WildStorm imprint and debut this fall. Click HERE for the full press release and be sure to check out that wonderful Jim Lee artwork!
In a novel move, Virgin Comics ((John Woo’s “7 Brothers”, Guy Ritchie’s “Game Keeper”, Nicholas & Weston Cage’s “Voodoo Child”) and Myspace have joined forces to launch Coalition Comix, “a new online comic book platform, allowing thousands of participants to work with leading comic book creators in the development and creation of new characters and stories. Each digital issue will have a real time creation period of two weeks, with sketches, artwork and scripts continuously uploaded for interactivity with the community. The first comic planned will be guided by comic book writer/novelist Mike Carey (Ultimate Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hellblazer, The Devil You Know).” For more information on Coalition Comix, check out the full press release HERE. Personally, I think this is a fabulous idea and will be an avid supporter.Here’s an interesting bit of news. Curt Schilling, current Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and two-time World Series champion, has his own videogame development & publishing company called 38 Studios (formerly Green Monster Games) which will participate at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con (July 26–29). One of the projects being worked on is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) featuring the artistic vision of Todd McFarlane (Spawn, The Amazing Spider-Man), R.A. Salvatore’s (Forgotten Realms, Star Wars) storytelling and an experienced team of gaming individuals including CEO/President Brett Close (Midway, EALA, VR1/Jaleco), Mary Kirchoff (Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast), Scott Cuthbertson (Disney, Warner Bros., Vivendi/Universal, Nintendo), Chaz Sutherland (Shiny, EALA), etc. For more information on 38 Studios and the untitled MMOG, keep an eye out for SDCC ’07 and check out the press release HERE.
PS Publishing (Stephen King’s “The Colorado Kid”, Steven Erikson, Joe Hill, China Miéville, Tim Lebbon, etc.) one of the premier specialist publishers in the fields of SF, Fantasy and Horror fiction, recently launched their brand new news blog, the PS Publishing News Room, which will be kept up-to-date with all the very latest PS Publishing news: short story acceptances, novel and novella purchases, sneak-peak cover art previews, links to reviews of PS titles elsewhere on the web, those all-important publication announcements, and much more. If you would like to receive PS Publishing’s general customer e-bulletins, please visit the sign-up page HERE. On a related note, I will be soon reviewing the three Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas from Steven Erikson as well as Conrad Williams’ “The Scalding Rooms” thanks to PS Publishing.According to Variety, it looks like New Line Cinema has finally chosen a director & writer for the movie adaptation of Y: The Last Man, which was created by writer Brian K. Vaughan (Ex Machina, Runaways, Lost) and penciler Pia Guerra. Published through DC’s imprint Vertigo (The Sandman, Fables, Transmetropolitan), the series is about a plague that wipes out all male humans save one and will be directed by D.J. Caruso (Taking Lives, Two for the Money) and adapted by Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye), who previously worked together on the film Disturbia.
Debuted at the NYC Comic Con in February 2007, Arcana Studio’s comic book “GearHead”—written by Dennis Hopeless and drawn by penciler K.W. Mellon & inker Ed Herrera—has been picked up for movie adaptation by Darius Films. The 4-issue series follows Shelby Cooper and her mission to find her brother and discover her destiny… And finally, another DC property has been picked up by Warner Bros. Pictures, the Western-flavored Jonah Hex with the team behind the action flick Crank adapting.
just wanted to say awesome blog. thank you so much!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you like it and I hope you'll continue to visit :D
ReplyDelete